Tuesday Tour Update: Yelas still searching

The fish break a hundred yards away and the trolling motor comes up as Yelas chases them around.

April 2, 2013 by Kyle Wood

Two-time FLW Angler of the Year(2002 and 2007), BASS Angler of the Year(2003) and a Bassmaster Classic crown (2002); these are the titles that one of the greatest anglers in the sport holds. What more could someone like that ask for? Well, if you are Jay Yelas you might want to win a Walmart FLW Tour event - or maybe a Forrest Wood Cup, but that is another story.
In the short 12 years the Chevy pro has been involved with FLW competition, Yelas has racked up 20 top-10 finishes. He holds one of the most consistent records of any FLW pro, yet the one thing he still yearns for is a victory during a regular season event.
"It's just crazy to think about," laughed the Corvallis, Ore., native. "Usually the guy that wins Angler of the Year wins a tournament during the course of the season. Not me. I got a few seconds in 2007, but that's it. I've spent lots of time trying to figure this all out, trust me."
Known as one of the best when it comes to fishing shallow, Yelas believes that may have something to do with his dry spell of tournament wins.
"There are other guys on tour with similar statistics," said Yelas. "I really think it comes down to a function of fishing style. I'm a shallow-oriented angler which lends itself more to consistency than winning. I fished 12 FLW tournaments last year and I think nine of them were won offshore. I might venture offshore from time to time but it's hard because I like to fish my strength. I'm hesitant to tweak my fishing style because it has worked so well. Fishing shallow is something I have developed and honed over my career."
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon for Yelas and it comes in the form of Beaver Lake - the site of the next tour stop.
"I'm looking forward to Beaver. I have about as good of a track record there as anywhere we go. I just feel comfortable there and know the fishery. I understand where the big fish are, that's probably why I like it so much."
With his excitement for Beaver aside there is another event on this year's schedule that also has the Chevy pros attention.
"Grand Lake stands out on the remaining schedule as well. I haven't been there for years but have done well in the past out there. It can be a great shallow-fishing lake so I'm looking forward to it."
Tournament win or not this year, Yelas will be all smiles on the water fishing the way he loves to. And with the lakes remaining on the tour schedule he may finally be able to capture what has eluded him this long.
"I don't know how due or not due you can be, but I think I may be due," chuckled Yelas.

High School Anglers Fish for Their Future

High school anglers from across the Midwest braved chilly weather at Kentucky Lake Saturday in hopes of finding hot spots that would help advance them to the High School Fishing Southeastern Conference Championship on Lake Lanier this fall as well as help fund their college education.
The 150 high school anglers and their coaches awoke to an unusually cold spring morning to compete in the 2015 Murray State High School Fishing Open. Frost-covered decks, gear and tackle, frozen livewells and outboards reluctant to start were among the first challenges those aboard the 75 boats had to deal with at Kentucky Dam Marina.
The event honored the memory of Murray State University’s Dr. Jim Carter, one of the earliest proponents of fishing as a state-sanctioned high school sport. Teams competed for a grand prize of $4,000 in scholarships to Murray State. The scholarships were provided by Independence Bank of Murray and FLW in partnership with the Murray State Bass Anglers. READ MORE »

March 21, 2015

Guntersville Midday Update

With numerous local boats on the water, a number of the top 10 pros have been unable to fully capitalize – Cameron Gautley didn’t have a limit at noon and Trevor Fitzgerald, Jay Kendrick and Rob Digh had yet to complete theirs as well. READ MORE »

March 21, 2015

College Open Day 2 Midday Update

The sun is shining, the weather is warmer and the bass aren’t biting, at least not for most of the first-round leaders here in the FLW College Fishing Kentucky Lake Open. As the second and final day of competition unfolds, the leaders are struggling to maintain their positions. READ MORE »

March 19, 2015

Day One Midday Update From Guntersville

With cooler weather blowing in, patches of mist and rain whisking over the lake, and whitecaps in the main channel, day one of the Rayovac FLW Series presented by Mercury on Lake Guntersville is proving to be a challenge for the field. READ MORE »

March 18, 2015

Murray State High School Fishing Open

The Bass Federation (TBF) and FLW, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, will host a Student Angler Federation Murray State High School Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, March 28 with the winning team receiving $4,000 in scholarships to Murray State from Independence Bank and FLW. READ MORE »

March 18, 2015

Walmart BFL Tournament Preview

The weekend of March 21 will feature four Walmart BFL tournaments. READ MORE »

March 17, 2015

College Open Heads to Kentucky Lake

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – FLW College Fishing is headed to Kentucky Lake March 20-21 for the inaugural FLW College Fishing Open tournament. This is the first time FLW has hosted a college tournament that allows open registration from any eligible college teams, regardless of division or location. Anglers who finish within the top 10 automatically qualify for the 2016 FLW College Fishing National Championship while the champions take home a Ranger Z117 with a 90-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard. READ MORE »

March 17, 2015

Weekend Wrap-Up

A recent warming trend and resulting rising water temperatures across the country had many anglers targeting fish that were moving back into spawning areas. Both the LBL and Okie division tournaments proved that the big girls are moving shallow. READ MORE »

March 16, 2015

Episode 68

10 Best Shots from Toho

Photos, photos and more photos. All totaled, FLW's media crew, which is composed of staff and freelance contributors, snapped more than 16,000 photos at the Lake Toho opener of the 2015 Walmart FLW Tour. FLW Graphic Designer and Photo Editor D.W. Reed II managed the flow of every photo from the camera, through a review and editing process, and eventually uploaded only the best shots to the website - and he did a fine job of it too. READ MORE »

March 12, 2015

Australian Wins Lake Toho FLW Fantasy Fishing

FLW Fantasy Fishing player Tom Slater of Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia, correctly picked four of the top 10 anglers the Walmart FLW Tour event on Lake Toho presented by Mercury. For his picks, Slater won the season’s first FLW Fantasy Fishing event and its $5,000 top prize. READ MORE »

March 11, 2015

Walmart BFL Tournament Preview

March 14 will host six different Walmart BFL events around the country. READ MORE »

March 10, 2015

Weekend Wrap-up

With the Walmart FLW Tour kicking off on Lake Toho over the weekend, all eyes were on central Florida. Toho didn’t disappoint. The system kicked out numbers of giant bass, which led to a final weigh-in that turned out to be a nail-biter.
What you might not have realized is that Lake Guntersville also churned out a plethora of giants in a Walmart Bass Fishing League event held there on Saturday.
Here’s a recap of last weekend’s tournament action. READ MORE »

March 5, 2015

Episode 67 - Shane Lehew and JT Kenney

Boat Bling Renews with FLW

In conjunction with their FLW sponsorship, Boat Bling recently announced the “2015 Boat Bling Challenge – Beat a Pro, Win a Boat” contest. One lucky winner will win a VIP trip to the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Airfare, hotel and VIP access will be given to the winner, as well as the opportunity to fish against a Boat Bling pro on Monday, August 24th. READ MORE »

March 3, 2015

Weekend Wrap-up – March 2, 2015

This weekend was all about anticipating the Walmart FLW Tour opener on Lake Toho. Though the pros haven’t started competing yet (competition begins Thursday), we’re beginning to see reports of great catches from practice and photos of some beautiful scenery, which has revved up preseason excitement to an all-time high. READ MORE »

March 3, 2015

Easy2Hook’s New Flipping Hook

This no-knot technology has already converted many professional anglers from traditional, closed-eye circle hooks that you tie your line to. It eliminates the weakness inherent traditional knots, and gives anglers 100 percent true line strength. READ MORE »

March 3, 2015

Pre-Tournament Interviews - Lake Toho

Cody Meyer and David Dudley provide their thoughts on Lake Toho after day two of practice. READ MORE »

February 27, 2015

FLW Launches New Website

In conjunction with the start of the 20th-anniversary season of the Walmart FLW Tour, FLW is proud to showcase its newly redesigned website. Located at a new URL, FLWFishing.com features a clean, organized look that is responsive on all viewing platforms and devices. READ MORE »

February 27, 2015

FLW, Fishidy Team Up Again

Fishidy allows anglers to explore real-time interactive fishing maps and fishing reports, track catches, and engage with an exclusive community of other anglers, captains, guides and bait shops. READ MORE »